


Great Minds (They Think Just the Same)

by lululawrence



Category: BBC Radio 1 RPF, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, DJ Louis Tomlinson, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, No Smut, Pining, anyway, it's mostly canon compliant, mentions of Harry Styles and Liam Payne, mentions of Harry Styles/Liam Payne relationship, sorry - Freeform, until spring of 2018 lol, which is when this takes place
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-21 17:58:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17047913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: This entire thing was going to be an utter failure. Why had Louis agreed to this? Why had he allowed Harry to convince him it was a good idea? He didn’t know anything more than the basics about being a DJ, and while he wanted to learn, he’d hoped he could get a bit more instruction. He’d had a bit back in 2012, but Louis also thought it would be more hands on than just the few verbal instructions Nick had given him before he kicked off the show.Nick Grimshaw, whom Louis absolutely one hundred percent refused to call Grimmy, was sitting across the table from him, bopping about looking adorable in his headphones as he laughed at tweets and texts that were coming in. Too bad he was a dick.Or the one where in an attempt to get the Breakfast Show back to the number one morning show in the country, the BBC brings on Louis as a co-host with Nick. They only thing is they don't really get along... until they do.





	Great Minds (They Think Just the Same)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sweetsummerstyles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetsummerstyles/gifts).



> Sweetsummerstyles! This fic was so much fun to write for you. I hope it lives up to your expectations and that you enjoy what I did with your prompt! Thank you for offering such great ones to choose from.
> 
> Massive thanks to our awesome mods for running this incredible exchange as well as to my beta, [Bri](http://briannamarguerite.tumblr.com), and brit pick, [FogandTea](http://fogandtea.tumblr.com), who are both incredible and speedy and wonderful. As usual, even with their help, there are remaining mistakes, I'm sure, and those are all mine.
> 
> I also might listen to a lot of Radio 1, but I don't know how the radio works other than what the DJs have talked about on air or in their podcasts, so there are likely errors and I'm sorry. I also wanted you to know that some of the stories told and events that happen did actually happen and were told, but not necessarily in the way or timeline used for the purposes of this fic. I hope you can forgive me for altering it for my own nefarious fic purposes. Some of them just begged to be used, and I couldn't deny them that honor.
> 
> The title of the fic comes from Familiar by Liam Payne and J Balvin because...well that particular lyric really spoke to me for this fic. lollll This is a work of fiction, please don't share it with anyone associated with the band or BBCR1, etc. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy!

**Week One**

_ Monday _

This entire thing was going to be an utter failure. Why had Louis agreed to this? Why had he allowed Harry to convince him it was a good idea? He didn’t know anything more than the basics about being a DJ, and while he wanted to learn, he’d hoped he could get a bit more instruction. He’d had a bit back in 2012, but Louis also thought it would be more hands on than just the few verbal instructions Nick had given him before he kicked off the show.

Nick Grimshaw, whom Louis absolutely one hundred percent refused to call Grimmy, was sitting across the table from him, bopping about looking adorable in his headphones as he laughed at tweets and texts that were coming in. Too bad he was a dick.

And too bad Louis felt like an imposter. He was sitting here essentially twiddling his thumbs. He had no idea how to work the equipment yet, the time that Nick was supposed to have shown him had been spent gossipping with Adele instead. 

“Alright, Louis. So next we’re just going to do a quick introduction for Newsbeat.”

“I do know the basics of how the show goes, Nicholas,” Louis said, rolling his eyes. God, he was tired of being talked down to just because he was a pop star. He knew the schedule and had done as much research for the show as he could on his own. He wasn’t  _ that _ spoilt. He just wasn’t sure as to specifics for things and was worried he would hit a wrong button.

“Right, well aren’t you feisty in the morning,” Nick said, his eyebrows raised. 

Shit. Now Nick was going to go around being even more snarky than he had been already. Louis was screwed. 

“Good Morning, everybody who just joined us. I hope you’re having a lovely start to your Monday! I’m afraid our brand new pop star co-host might be having a bit of a rough go at his new early morning routine, awwww,” Nick said, smirking and sounding entirely fake. 

“I just need more tea, is all. I’ll be fine,” Louis said, holding up his mug and taking an obnoxious slurp.

“Yes, I’m sure that’ll do wonders,” Nick said, sounding completely droll. “And now it’s time for another update from Newsbeat. Take it away, Roisin!”

As soon as Roisin took over, Nick took off his headphones and stood up. “Well. While you try to wake up a bit with your tea, I’m going to run to the loo and get some coffee. The next few songs are queued, just press this button here.” Nick pointed to the large green button on the screen. “And Trav will help if you need it. Alright? Feel free to respond to tweets or something if you’d like as well.”

And then he left Louis all alone with their producer Travis. Yeah. This was a truly horrific idea.

 

_ Tuesday _

Nick sat back and watched as Louis smiled at his screen. The listeners had loved having him yesterday, which was a great sign since this was a permanent deal, but Nick was waiting for the novelty to wear off, honestly. How often do pop stars of the caliber of former members of One Direction actually make a smooth transition into something like radio presenting? 

They don’t. 

Nick was only partially bitter about it, to be honest. He’d gone into a meeting with his bosses with the hope that he’d convince them to allow him to go to a later time slot. Maybe drive time, so he could actually have a normal social life again. Well, that and start think about what happens after he’s done with this part of his life. After all, what does one do once they’ve achieved their dream?

That obviously was not what happened, considering he was now sitting across from Louis Tomlinson.  _ Apparently _ Nick was the type to be forced into training someone else to do his job. Nick wasn’t very good at training others, was the thing. It was why he was never given any interns. He didn’t like it, he wasn’t good at it, and he knew it wouldn’t work well. So when the bosses told him he wouldn’t be able to switch time slots and would instead be getting a brand new co-host he would have to train as well? He hadn’t been pleased.

When he had walked into the studio to find his surprise brand new co-host was, in fact, Louis Tomlinson, he had been even less enthused. Louis was gorgeous, wasn’t he? Nick didn’t function well around beautiful men for extended periods of time.  _ And _ Louis had been a complete tit to him back when the band was just starting, so he didn’t really have high hopes for this turning out much better. 

The bosses had claimed their combined sharp wit and even sharper tongues would be exactly what the BBC needed to regain the top spot for morning radio for the first time in years, but Nick had major doubts. 

Nick was jolted out of his musings when he realized there had been silence on the air for more than a second or two. When he refocused his eyes, he found Louis’ amusement had turned to a glare.

“I don’t know what to do now!” Louis whispered harshly. “Maybe if you’d actually trained me like you were supposed to…”

“Rude,” Nick said right before he turned the mics back on. “Alright, everybody! How’d you like that lovely pick me up from George Ezra? Paradise always gets me feeling like I can do anything, how about you?”

Nick jabbered on with a few pointless injections from the pop star, and then he was able to put on the next song. 

“I don’t care if you don’t want to show me everything, that’s fine,” Louis said as he stood up, “But I don’t want to look like a wanker. That’s not who I am and it’s not why I’m here. So at least show me enough so I can do the basics next time you decide to fall asleep on the job.”

With that, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and walked through the Live Lounge. Nick had no idea where he was headed, but he was fine to be without Louis for at least a few minutes. 

God. Couldn’t he just go to doing his own show without distracting pop stars he was meant to be teaching?

 

_ Thursday _

“So what are the rest of your plans during the hiatus,” Nick asked, putting air quotes around the word hiatus. What a knob.

“It  _ is _ just a hiatus, contrary to popular belief,” Louis said. “We are getting back together and I’m sure Harry told you that. Anyway, why do you ask? The microphones aren’t on. I can’t imagine you’re  _ actually _ interested.”

They’d been bickering all week and honesty, Louis was tired of it. He didn’t have to be here. He’d always thought this would be cool to learn, but Nick hadn’t shown him shit and had refused to make any actual conversation. It was disheartening and anger inducing to see how easily he interacted with the listeners and literally every other person in this building, but he could barely make a civil comment to Louis. 

In order to be able to do anything, Louis had finally asked Adele if she’d mind showing him the ropes during the end of her shift. Yesterday and today she had started helping him learn the systems. Louis felt he was catching on fairly well and already starting to feel more confident. Now if only he wouldn’t want to kill Nick, things would be great.

“Why wouldn’t I be interested in what the great Louis Tomlinson is up to?” Nick asked, looking genuinely confused. Which didn’t really make sense. He’d made it abundantly clear that he didn’t care about Louis all week.

Louis noticed the song was ending and pressed the appropriate buttons, looking up to see Nick watching him, impressed.

“And that’s it for us today! Happy almost Friday, everyone, and we’ll be back for you bright and early tomorrow. Next up, you’ve got Clara Amfo, but first we’re going to leave you with this absolute tune by Troye Sivan,  _ My My My!.  _ Have a great rest of the day, everyone.”

Louis hit a few more buttons and leaned back in the chair, earning applause from Travis. 

“Well done, Louis,” Travis said, coming over and giving him a pat on the shoulder before heading back to his station. “You’re a natural. You’ll have this down in no time.”

“Thanks,” Louis said, something settling inside of him. Maybe this would turn out alright after all.

“Yeah, you’ll have my job soon enough,” Nick said. 

Louis turned back to Nick and found him packing his things up, not even glancing in Louis’ direction. Within minutes, Nick waved, said a general goodbye to everyone, and left the studio.

Rolling his eyes, Louis packed up as well and headed on his way. He couldn’t wait until the three-day weekends started around here. The faster he didn’t have to spend five mornings a week with Nick Grimshaw, the better.

 

_ Friday _

“How’d you learn all of that? You’re doing things I’ve not told you how to do,” Nick said as he watched Louis organize various sound effects for the game they were playing that morning. He knew Louis was spending more time in the studios than Nick had been this week, but Nick could also only handle so much insanely gorgeous and untouchable pop star before his ability to function went out the window. It was for the best he’d been leaving as quickly as he had been, really.

“Adele showed me,” Louis said, shrugging. “I needed to know how to do my job and you weren’t training me.”

Nick’s brows furrowed. “When did she do that?”

“I came in early,” Louis said, finally looking up. His eyes were clear and blue and incredibly sharp this morning. “I’ve come in an hour early the past three days so she could teach me during the songs at the end of her shift.”

The blush wasn’t just on Nick’s cheeks when he heard this. No, it had flushed all the way down his chest and the back of his neck, just as his shame was rising up to completely envelope him.

“Don’t worry, no one knew I was there, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Louis said softly.

“I wasn’t,” Nick said, coming off as too sharp. Because he couldn’t control  _ anything _ when he was around Louis, apparently. Fuck.

“Fine,” Louis said back, his tone just as steely. “I was just...you know what? Nevermind.”

“Two minutes, lads,” Travis said.

Nick shot him a thumbs up through the glass and got his headphones on. He always liked listening to the last song Adele had put through for them before kicking off. Good to know nothing was changing today, though. Sounded like things would continue in their “fun, bantery way,” as the official tagline had been according to the Radio 1 Twitter account. 

Mentally, Nick started the countdown until their show was over and he could go to lunch with Louis’ nicer former bandmates, Harry and Liam. He needed an infusion of kindness and cuddles after all the jabs he’d gotten from Louis this week. He felt battered and bruised and entirely unsure of himself and it had only been a week. That certainly didn’t bode well.

“Alright. Let’s do this, Lewis.”

Louis arched his brow and placed his own headphones on as he said, “Bring it on, Nicholas.”

 

**Week Two**

_ Tuesday _

Louis was confused. It had been two days now and it was like Nick was a completely different person this week. He’d brought a tea for Louis both mornings, made exactly the way Louis liked it, and he’d been conversational. Kind. He’d even taught Louis something Adele hadn’t gotten to yet. 

So. Yeah. He was confused.

“Louis, what do you think? You’ve been on the other side of this situation. When is it okay for fans to approach a celebrity when they’re just going about their business?” Nick asked.

“You know what it’s like too, Nick,” Louis said. “You’re basically a celebrity. I’ve seen people waiting outside to meet you before.”

Nick started laughing. “Oh, sure. Those are just  _ your _ fans accepting my ugly mug to help ease their wait. I’m not to your level.”

“Oi,” Louis said, laughing. “Fine. Maybe it isn’t exactly the same as getting mobbed in South America or something, but it’s still celebrity, right? People know you if they see you.”

Nick shrugged and batted his eyes a little. Was he...flirting? No. He couldn’t be, right?

“But come on. What’s kind of the line of when you’d rather be left alone and when you’re okay with being approached?”

Louis sighed. “I don’t know! We are very appreciative of our fans, you know? I love getting to meet them and interact with them. Some days, though, I’d rather not have a photo or something, and honestly they let me just do my shopping and such without being interrupted most times. Which is well nice. But what I appreciate most is no sneaky pics. I hate those.”

“Oh, so sneaky pics is your hard line? Absolutely no photos of you as you’re walking in the park with Cliff or summat?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Louis said, getting more energized as their back and forth continued. “All I ask is for them to ask for the photo first. Most of the time I’ll say yes, even if I think I look sh...poorly.”

Nick’s eyes gleamed as he caught the near curse and Louis laughed a little. “Sorry! Sorry. I caught myself in time, though!”

“You did,” Nick agreed, chuckling a little. “Alright, so good to know. There you are, fans. No sneaky pics! Just ask first.”

“That’s right,” Louis confirmed.

“Alright! Coming up we’ve got  _ Love Lies _ by Khalid and Normani as well as this banger from the group Foals, but first! We’ve got this one from a former bandmate of Louis’! It’s the newest song from Liam Payne featuring J Balvin. Enjoy!”

Louis sat back and watched Nick as he hummed a bit and shouted out to Travis about callers. He didn’t mind this nicer version of Nick, but he was confused. Was this the real Nick? Or was he the dick from last week? What changed?

He needed to figure that out before he could truly let his guard down.

 

_ Wednesday _

Nick was  _ definitely _ going to win Harry’s bet. It was so easy, he was surprised Harry made the wager in the first place. Nick hadn’t expected to be practically assaulted by Harry and his almost-fiance Liam when he’d gone to lunch with them last week, but that was what had happened. Harry had been livid about how Nick and Louis had been behaving toward each other. He said he’d already talked to Louis, but for Nick, apparently talking wasn’t enough.

No, apparently Harry felt he had to offer Nick a home-cooked meal of Nick’s choice to get him to be nice to his former bandmate. That was fine. Nick would take the food. All he had to do was be nice and not give Louis anything to complain about to Harry for a week. 

What Nick hadn’t anticipated was that with his being nice to Louis, that Louis would reciprocate. He wasn’t being cold or judgemental like he had been last week, and honestly that was even more dangerous for Nick than he already was. At least before he could remind himself Louis hated him and had a mean streak to help him keep his distance. Now he’d lost that too.

God. Nick had already almost missed three connections just today and he’d tripped over his words enough to properly embarrass himself, but thankfully he’d gotten to making fun of himself before Louis could. He blamed it on missing his coffee this morning, but Louis knew that was a lie, because he’d had a cup for himself just like he had the tea for Louis again.

“Ooh I think we’ve all had relationships like that, haven’t we, love?” Louis said, chatting with a girl who couldn’t be older than twelve. “Things start out so great but then we get to know them and it all goes a bit wrong, yeah? But sometimes it’s the other way around, too. You start out thinking someone is quite awful and as you get to know them, it turns out they’re actually wonderful.”

Then, quite inexplicably, Nick felt Louis’ eyes on him. Nick glanced up from where he was focused on the oatmeal he definitely  _ wasn’t _ eating in the studio, and when their eyes met, Louis looked away quickly. 

Was that a blush on his cheeks? No. No, it couldn’t be. Right?

Sure, he’d easily win the bet with Harry, but he felt like he’d just added a lot of confusion all for a simple meal.

 

_ Thursday _

Nick was doing it again. Not the being nice thing, though he’d been doing that too, but he was doing the self-deprecating thing.

When Louis had called up Harry to complain about how much of a dick Nick was, Harry had tried to explain. Harry said Nick wasn’t cutting Louis off and interrupting to be rude or cruel, but that he did it because he was nervous. Louis hadn’t believed him at first, but had promised to be nicer anyway. Now, though, Louis had noticed that Nick was usually only doing those things when he was saying things to make fun of himself. 

“So there I was, chatting with the courier and having a full on conversation with him, when I felt something drop to the floor from my shorts.” Nick was laughing and hiding behind his hands at the same time. When he finally uncovered his face, he looked up at Louis and shook his head in exasperation. “It was my old pants. The ones I’d worn the day before that I had apparently shucked off at the same time before climbing into bed!”

“Oh my God, Nick,” Louis said, unable to hold back his laughter. 

“I know! I know,” Nick said. “I quickly wrapped up that conversation and now I’m sure he will never want to return to my flat to deliver anything.”

“Proper scarred him,” Louis said. “I was certain that story was going to go in another direction, though.”

“Is that possible when I’ve got a member of  _ One _ Direction with me every day? Doesn’t give many possibilities for where to go,” Nick said, pointing back at Louis to emphasize his pun.

“Oh, I’ve not heard that one before,” Louis said, shaking his head. “I think every time you make a bad pun regarding the band name you should owe me something. Like a curse jar.”

“What? You want me to put in fifty pence every time I make a bad pun?” Nick said, smiling wide. He was quite attractive when he did that.

He was attractive most of the time, actually.

“Yeah, basically,” Louis said, nodding along. “Think you could get us a jar, Trav?”

“We’ll have to hide it from Greg and Chris Smith,” Grimmy said. “They stole my bag of nuts the other day to use for Mug on a Dog. I’m certain my coins would be used for that instead of saving you from having to purchase some hamburgers you obviously wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise.”

“Gotta have my greasy burgers,” Louis said, nodding.

“Hmmm,” Nick said, sparkles in his eye. “We will see if I can avoid the puns or not then. Up now, we’ve got Lauv!”

Nick started telling another story, this time to do with his newest addition, a dog he’s named Stinky Blob, and Louis just enjoyed the show. He was so animated and had incredible comedic timing. Louis loved watching him as much as he did listening to him.

Okay fine. Louis hated admitting it, but maybe Harry had been right. Nick wasn’t so bad after all.

 

_ Friday _

Nick was in trouble. He was in deep, deep shit. 

How had he gotten here? Things had been fine. They’d been great. He and Louis had gotten along all week and it was a bit of a dream, honestly. Nick had never thought he’d want to do a show where he was permanently with someone else like Scott did with Chris. It worked well for some people and he could see the appeal when it was done well, but he’d never thought he would be one of those people.

He talked too much to add someone else. Or so he’d thought.

But now here was Louis, throwing a wrench in all of his plans. Suddenly, Nick felt like he could last on the Breakfast Show for another few years, or at the very least until it was time for Louis to get back with the other lads and go on tour. Fuck, that was going to hurt. 

That was so far away! Why was Nick worried about that now? Especially when he truly did have so much more to worry about at the moment.

Such as the fact that the attraction to Louis has grown from an appreciation of his physique to a full on bloody massive crush. 

Nick was so fucked. He couldn’t even stop himself from flirting on air! Usually he only pulled out the charm when he was interviewing someone or being extra saucy with Andy Carr. With Louis, though, he couldn’t even help it. 

He’d gone from hardly being able to speak around him to being rude to him to  _ constantly flirting? _ Nick was a mess. That was all it came down to.

“Look at Nick, being all extra complimentary to me again today,” Louis teased. “You’d think he actually liked me or something and we can’t be having that.”

“Oh, surely not,” Nick replied back quickly. “Soon there would be reports of us seeing each other and imagine the headlines!  _ Nick Grimshaw turns another 1D star gay.  _ Didn’t they say something like that with Harry back in the day? It could always happen again. They think my gay energy is very powerful. It would all be a nightmare for your publicist.”

Louis had his nose scrunched and his lips pursed. It was very cute and Nick needed him to stop it immediately. 

“Definitely can’t have that.”

“Course not,” Nick said, perhaps a little too soft. 

Louis cleared his throat after the silence had gone on a beat too long. “So, with that wonderful introduction on this Friday morning, here’s what we’ve got planned for the rest of the show.”

Louis continued speaking about all the stupid shit he and Nick had planned out last night, and Nick smiled. Over the course of two weeks, Louis had grown far more confident and was well suited to the role of a radio personality. He had such a soothing and expressive voice to listen to, and when he got excited his northern accent got stronger, which of course just made Nick think of home. And daydream of Louis going back to meet his parents. The family dogs. Taking walks through Nick’s favorite parks. 

Yeah. Nick was in deep shit.

 

**Week Three**

_ Monday _

Louis was smiling down at his lap. Nick was insane. He was insane and hilarious and kind of wonderfully ridiculous.

And the bosses had gone along with him on this. Technically, Louis supposed they’d gone along with Greg  _ and _ Nick, but truly. It was Nick’s fault. Nick was the one who would shout out stupid ideas and Greg would run with them. It was somewhat brilliant to watch, actually.

“So, that’s how it came about. And now you get to join us!” Greg said cheerfully.

That made Louis look up from his lap. “Wait, what?”

Nick was pacing the floor, hands whirling. He’d had a few too many shots of espresso during the show. Louis knew he was going to crash sometime soon, but it hadn’t come yet. His manic energy levels were still through the roof.

“Oh yeah,” Nick said, looking at Louis like it was obvious. “You’re a part of the show now! You  _ have _ to be there. It’s technically part of the contract.”

“But…” Louis blinked a few times. “What if I don’t  _ want _ to be a part of the world’s largest game of hide and seek?”

The silence in the room was nearly deafening. 

“Well, I’m not all that sure the decision is up to you at this point,” Greg said, rather matter of factly. “This has been underway for at least a month now, so now that you’re part of the Breakfast Show, you’re kind of automatically signed on.”

Looking back at Nick, Louis saw he was biting his lip and studying Louis’ face intently. “If you’re dead against it I’m sure we could work a way to get you out of it, but it is meant to be a big bit of fun. Don’t you think it could be fun?”

Louis thought it could be fun, but was also meant to be a bit disastrous. He wasn’t sure Nick and Greg had entirely thought this plan through.

“No, don’t worry. I was just surprised is all,” Louis said.

Nick smiled, looking so bright and excited and happy, Louis was glad he hadn’t done anything to ruin that. Wednesday was going to be interesting.

 

_ Wednesday _

Nick sat bouncing in the back seat of the car. It wasn’t marked with anything related to the BBC and Travis was driving them as well as dictating the playlist. The playlist was shit, but Nick didn’t care. He was just excited the game of hide and seek was about to start.

“We’re going to be late for the start of the show if we don’t get in soon,” Greg said. “Better put on my disguise.”

Greg then pulled a ridiculous grandad hat out of his rucksack and pulled it on over his hair.

“How do I look?”

Nick was still figuring out how to formulate his words when Louis responded. 

“Like Greg James. And you’re bloody tall, mate. A hat doesn’t change that.”

“Yeah? Well how are you planning to cover up the fact you’re Louis fucking Tomlinson, eh? You’re dressed in your usual jeans and a jumper. Some disguise you have.”

Nick still felt Louis’ jeans and a jumper drew less attention than Greg’s rather ugly hat.

“Hey, I did as they instructed,” Louis said. Pointing at Nick, he continued. “Nick here did as well. We are wearing unassuming clothing that wouldn’t stand out.”

Greg narrowed his eyes. “What about Nick’s hair? Everyone is going to recognize that.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “No, I spent ages on it this morning, please don’t smash a hat on it now.”

“I’ve got a snapback just for you in here,” Greg said, rummaging inside his rucksack again. “Ah-hah!”

Louis immediately burst into laughter, leaning into Nick’s side as Nick read the lettering on the cap.  _ Bart’s Bait and Tackle.  _

“Where the fuck did you even find that?” Nick asked as Greg forced it on. It felt too tight and awkward and like Nick should never wear a hat ever again.

“Lost and Found. Don’t worry, I washed it.”

Louis kept laughing until Greg mentioned a hat for him as well. 

“Nope, no. I’ve got my own, thanks.”

Nick glared as Louis pulled a beanie out of his own bag and carefully placed it on his head. 

“Yeah, that absolutely works,” Greg said, smile wide. “You are no longer the most handsome man in the country. Amazing the powers of a beanie.”

Nick was more than relieved when the two people Greg had been in contact with motioned from the door. They were finally ready. 

The game was about to begin.

 

_ Thursday _

Louis usually loved being right, but now that they’d all been together for almost twenty-four hours straight and none of them had had a chance to wash, he just wanted it to end.

Though it wasn’t all bad. They’d had to fashion a sleeping mat of sorts on the floor in the corner of the room. The rest of the team had been able to go and sleep in an actual hotel on the other side of Liverpool, but since the three of them were too recognizable, they weren’t able to leave the top floor of the building they were in. It had meant a night of three grown men sleeping huddled together for warmth on a pile of blankets.

Louis might have woken up cuddled by Nick, but he doesn’t think Greg saw anything, so it was alright. Or it would be if his heart would stop racing and his cheeks flushing at the thought of it. 

“We’re all acting a bit funny today and do apologize, but we didn’t sleep all that well last night,” Nick said, giggling. “We should have gotten pictures of the sleeping arrangement. Perhaps we can recreate it later so everyone could see exactly how much we had to sacrifice to allow this game to continue.”

“Oh, I got a few!” Greg said, a glint in his eye.

Oh no. Oh dear, Greg. What was he doing?

“Gregory, for the love of God, show me the photos first,” Louis said. 

“Okay, I think it’s time for a song. Maybe Camelphat again? We’ve not done that yet this shift, have we? Oh, whoops. I guess we’ll start with the 1975. Here, have some music.” 

Nick fumbled around on the computer until Louis heard a song that was familiar, but not actually either one of the bands Nick had just mentioned.

“Come on, Greg,” Louis said, hand held out. Greg rolled his eyes and handed his phone over.

“They’re harmless. It looks like you two are just posing since I look so obviously stupid.”

Louis froze. The first photo was of Louis curled up into Nick’s side, his head on his chest while Nick’s arms were wrapped around him. Greg had obviously inserted himself into the photograph last minute since he was spooning Louis from behind, but not daring to touch him like Nick obviously was. There were a few other photos like that, with Greg in various positions, grinning wildly at the camera or pretending to sleep with his mouth wide open, until the last photo was just a simple one of Nick and Louis.

“Oh,” Nick said, his soft voice startling Louis because he was directly behind him. “Well that’s...uhm…”

Louis looked up at Greg, who shrugged. “I wasn’t going to post that last one, obviously.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Louis said quietly before turning his head a bit to look at Nick. 

Nick was biting his lip again as he stared at the photo of the two of them before blinking and pulling back.

“Right. Uhm. Maybe one of the first ones would be alright?” he said, voice squeaky and then he immediately began walking towards the door. “I’m going to sneak to the stairs and see if I can give another window weather report and some more hints so we can be found.”

It took Nick fifteen minutes to return. Louis had no idea what any of it meant.

 

_ Friday _

Nick could still feel Louis in his arms, was the thing. It was like a phantom warmth that hadn’t left him. The scent of Louis’ shampoo that was still in his soft hair, the way he fit so perfectly right in Nick’s arms. He re-lived it constantly and couldn’t deny he wanted more.

But he was just Nick Grimshaw, somewhat decent Radio DJ and annoyance extraordinaire. He had nothing that would appeal to Louis Tomlinson, worldwide heartthrob and super-famous pop star.

That knowledge didn’t keep him from wanting, though. Last week, Nick had found himself flirting almost against his will with the man, and now he was full on pining. It was ridiculous. Wasn’t it just two weeks ago he couldn’t stand Louis? 

It felt like ages ago, now. Why was he like this?

Harry and Liam were meant to be making him dinner tonight, but he wasn’t sure he was up for it. Seeing them all over each other would just make him think about what it could be like if he was deserving of a man like Louis instead of being constantly alone with only his dogs for company. Yeah, he was definitely going to have to postpone that dinner.

They’d just finished the show and both were moving a bit slower than usual, probably because Nick wasn’t sure either of them had fully recovered from their extended and not very well planned out time in Liverpool. 

“Hey, what are you up to tonight?” Louis asked, pulling Nick from his thoughts right as he was pulling on his jacket.

“Oh, ehm, well I was meant to do dinner with Liam and Harry, but I was just thinking about how I was going to cancel,” Nick said honestly. “How about you?”

Louis didn’t say anything, so Nick looked over his shoulder and saw him looking… well. He looked nervous. Why would he be nervous?

“Didn’t really have any plans. Was thinking of seeing if you’d want to come over and order in or something, but if you’ve already got plans or aren’t up for it, that’s totally fine and I could-”

“Yes,” Nick said completely interrupting Louis because he had absolutely no shame. If Louis wanted to spend more time together, then Nick was more than willing to torture himself. “I would love to come over. Just tell me when and what I can bring.”

Louis’ smile was bright and caused a fizzing in Nick’s veins. He was so gone for this man already.

 

**Week Four**

_ Monday _

Louis kept telling himself no one could tell by looking at him.  _ Them. _ No one would know what had happened over the weekend other than him. 

Well. And Nick.

But as the day went on and Louis kept blushing because of a stupid remark from Nick or the fact that they’d made eye contact, Louis was having to reevaluate.

Louis had fucking giggled on air about thirty minutes ago. So yeah, subtlety wasn’t really happening and at this point he was going to consider it a win if the whole country wasn’t aware by the time the show ended. Which should be in a minute or two.

“And that’s it for us today,” Nick said. “Have a great Monday, don’t repeat Rebecca from Hull’s mistakes, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Once the mics were off and everything was in place for Clara, Louis sagged into his chair with relief. He had never been very good at secrets, especially when they had to do with gorgeous co-workers he may have spent the entire weekend with.

“Hey, Lou. Want to go grab brunch?” Nick asked, as if it was obvious they were going to be together after the show today as well. 

Then again, after how Louis had acted, maybe it was obvious.

Even so, warmth filled his chest and Louis smiled. “Yeah, you have someplace in mind?”

Nick began to chatter as he walked into the Live Lounge where he got distracted. Louis was just about to follow him when Travis cleared his throat.

Turning around, Louis arched his brow. “Yes? How can I help you, dearest producer Trav?”

Travis gave a smirk and a wink. “Have fun, but don’t you dare hurt him.”

Louis fish mouthed for a bit. He absolutely had not expected to be called out directly like that. 

Pulling himself together, Louis gave an embarrassed smile and said, “I don’t plan on it.”

Patting him on the back, Travis nodded, and went back to work while Louis made his way to the Live Lounge where Nick was waiting for him.

 

_ Tuesday _

“I just really want to know if you’re ever going to start calling me Grimmy?” Nick asked after the seventy billionth time that Louis had called him Nick or Nicholas just today. “Everyone calls me Grimmy, from our loyal listeners to those awful rags writing horrible reports on me when they’re bored. But you don’t. It makes me feel a bit like I’m in trouble.”

He had wondered this ever since Louis had started with him. He had never once called him Grimmy. At least not that Nick could remember. He does enjoy hearing his name being said with Louis’ rough voice, but it’s been bugging him a little that he refuses to even acknowledge the nickname.

Louis arched his brow and said, “What, you want me to be like everyone else and call you Grimmy?”

As soon as Louis said it, it felt weird. Wrong.

Nick shivered and made a bit of a choked noise that was likely caught by the microphone. Louis started laughing at Nick’s reaction and Nick said, “Please don’t do that again. That did not feel right. You are no longer allowed to call me Grimmy.”

Louis shrugged and said, “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Always knew I was special.”

And then he bloody winked. If he wasn’t so damn sexy, Nick would reconsider the date they had planned for that afternoon. But as it was, he was definitely desperate for Louis. At this point he wasn’t sure there was anything Louis could do that would keep him away.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get a big head. We all know you’re very special,” Nick said, exaggeration pouring off of him and making Louis do his cute nose scrunch, pursed lip thing. Nick had noticed that during their epic game of hide and seek, Louis did it quite often in reaction to whatever antics Nick had gotten himself up to. It was damn cute and made his tummy feel funny in the best way now. 

Clearing his throat to distract himself and bring his attention back to the show and work and all that, Nick said, “And now, dear listeners, we have a very exciting day ahead. In less than an hour we have a secret special guest coming in to surprise you all, so just you wait for that! First, we’ll get you going with some Ellie Goulding.”

Once the song had started, Louis tapped the desk to get Nick’s attention. Furrowing his brows, Nick looked up and Louis was bright red and pointing at the computer. Unsure what specifically Louis was looking at, Nick took off his headphones and walked around the desk.

At the very top was a tweet that simply read,  _ I ship it #Tomlinshaw. _

“Well,” Nick said, giving Louis’ hair a kiss. “At least they don’t hate the idea of us.”

Louis turned to look at Nick and asked, “Is that really all you’re going to say?”

Nick made his eyes ridiculously wide and swayed his hips as he walked back to his own seat. “What more do you want me to say? You think I’m sexy. You think I’m gorgeous. It’s only natural for it to happen.”

Louis scoffed. “Oh, sure. Yeah. It has nothing to do with the fact that you definitely kissed me first last Friday. I think the real argument here is that  _ you _ think  _ I’m _ gorgeous and sexy.”

Nick pretended to think about it for a moment. “Yeah. That’s very true too.”

“Pull it together, song’s over in fifteen,” Travis said into the room.

Nick flipped him off and got his headphones back on. Louis didn’t deny he thought Nick was sexy and gorgeous. They were going to have to revisit that later that afternoon.

 

_ Thursday _

Louis watched Nick get everything ready. He was such a perfectionist, but also a fucking procrastinator and Louis enjoyed watching him whirl about the room in a flurry right before the show. Louis was always ready at least five minutes ahead of time, but Nick never was. 

Nick would take the extra time to watch Nick. Watching him at work was one of Louis’ favorite things. Nick was just so in his element, it was like he came truly and fully alive while at the studio, talking to the nation over the airwaves. Nick looked like how Louis felt like he might while on stage. They were different forms of performing, and both of them loved it.

“What?” Nick asked, catching Louis staring. 

Louis smirked. “What, can’t I just watch you work?”

Nick looked at him like he didn’t trust Louis’ intentions. “I very much doubt that’s all there was to it.”

Yes, well. He might be right. Louis had also been wondering if it was too soon to label what exactly they were to each other. Nick had had boyfriends in the past and he definitely didn’t seem to be afraid of the title, but would he be alright with placing that label on whatever was going on with them?

They hadn’t exactly had much talking going on. Okay, that was a lie. There was a fuck ton of talking between the two of them, but never about the important things. They were really fantastic at avoiding the big topics like  _ Hey, I like you _ and  _ Please don’t leave _ and  _ I really want this to be something more than just a few hot shags. _

Louis was rusty with this part. He’d had significant others, but it had been awhile and he usually wasn’t the one to initiate it. He felt like maybe Nick was the one to change that. But was now the time? Was it too early?

“Okay fine, don’t answer me,” Nick said shaking his head as he focused back on the computer. “I swear, you are always so chatty and then when I  _ actually _ want an answer, you go silent.”

“Gotta keep you on your toes,” Louis said, smiling wide. “Don’t want you getting bored of me.”

Nick paused and looked Louis right in the eyes. “I don’t think I could ever get bored of you.”

They held their eye contact a little longer, Louis feeling yet another piece of his heart click into place. Yeah. Maybe this was the time.

 

_ Friday _

Chris Stark once said that big news didn’t feel official until you had shared it with your listeners. That it obviously was real and a massive part of your life, but until you shared it on the air, with those who listened to you every day and let you into their lives, that it didn’t feel complete. 

Nick hadn’t truly understood at first. It seemed a bit silly to him, but he hadn’t had big news to share in a long time. 

Now, though? Now he got it. He had a  _ boyfriend _ for the first time in actual ages and he wanted to tell everyone. He wanted to talk about how their dogs got along so well and how wonderfully sweet his boyfriend was and how they bicker often, but that it was okay because that’s just how they work.

But he couldn’t. Well, he could, but not really. He could mention he had a boyfriend, but not his boyfriend’s name or profession or anything like that. For necessary reasons, Louis was not at liberty to talk about his personal life like that. Which was fine and Nick got it. One hundred percent. But also, he really  _ really _ wanted to brag.

“I have some news for all of you,” Nick said, his heart racing. He looked at Louis, who had a calm smile on his face. They’d talked in great detail over what could and could not be said on the air, but Nick still wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk in part or if he’d rather just keep it quiet. “I...have decided to redo my kitchen.”

Louis made a gasping noise and then said, “You aren’t the one actually doing the work now, are you? Because I can imagine that would only be a complete disaster.”

“Oh no no no,” Nick said, laughing so hard he was gasping for breath. “No. Do I look the construction type? No. I’ll be hiring a contractor. But it might take some time.”

“Yeah, I’m a bit confused,” Louis said, smile so wide his eyes were half moons. “You’ve not mentioned this at all before now, so what made you think this was a good idea? Why now? Were you bored last night and while you were staring at the ceiling in your bedroom you just said, ‘Hey, Piggie. Stinky Blob. I think I want a new kitchen?’”

Nick snorted. “Of course not. I can keep a secret, you know. This is something I’ve been thinking about for ages. I just hadn’t said anything.”

Louis hummed. “Sure, sure. Nick keeping a secret. Sounds fake, but okay.”

“Shut up, or I’ll ask for a new co-host,” Nick teased.

“Good luck getting one as fantastic as me,” Louis said with a wink.

“That would never happen, but we could try anyway,” Nick shot right back. “And now look at the time! We need to play another song without my even talking about all my kitchen plans. Very rude of you. Call in, text, tweet, you know the drill. Let us know if you’ve ever done remodeling before and what brought that about for you. And for now, here’s Lauv.”

Mics muted, Nick looked over to Louis.

“That’s a nice announcement you made,” Louis said.

“Yeah, not the best one I’ve got, though.”

Louis smirked. “Yeah, but I’ve already heard that one. It’s old news.”

“Sure it is, boyfriend.”

 

**Week 72**

_ Friday _

“And now we’ve got a special announcement from our one and only pop star, Louis Tomlinson!” Nick said as he winked at Louis.

It had been over a year now, and that stupid wink still got the butterflies going in Louis’ tummy sometimes.

“Oh, so just kicking right off with it, are we?” Louis said, resettling himself in his seat. “I thought you were going to give me a little more warning or wait until eight or summat.”

“Nah, this is a massive announcement,” Nick said, smile wide and proud. Louis loved that smile. 

“Yeah, it really is.”

“Now, this is an announcement that has several pieces, isn’t it?” Nick said, leading Louis into it easily just like he promised he would.

“Yeah, so as many people know, I’ve been away quite often lately.”

“You have,” Nick said, pouting. “We have missed you.”

“Well, that’s going to be a bit more permanent as of a few more weeks so next Friday is actually my last Breakfast Show as co-host.”

Nick nodded and put on the sad music in the background to make it that much more schmaltzy. What a dork.

“And what does the future hold for you, Lewis? Where have you been traveling to? What is going on?”

“Well, Nicholas, it turns out I’ve been writing and recording music with some other lads you might be familiar with, because One Direction has a new album that’s going to be coming out this fall.”

Nick puts on the applause track and begins to whoop and holler. “Did you hear that? Did all of you hear that? My boyfriend said One Direction is not dead!”

Louis laughed and felt the best jolt of energy. He’d come out a few months ago, but getting to hear Nick actually call him his boyfriend publicly never got old.

“That’s right. We’re coming back.”

“Well, Louis, the show just isn’t going to be the same without you, so we have an entire weeklong send off planned for you next week!”

Louis looked at Travis, confused. Nothing had been mentioned to him about this. “What? What kind of send off?”

“Oh, all of it is a secret, of course. Just know we will have special guests every day, starting with your bandmates on Monday!”

Louis laughed. “I was wondering what Harry was talking about. He let something slip yesterday, but I didn’t understand what he meant.”

“That one never could keep his mouth shut about anything,” Nick said. “That’s alright, Harry. We love you anyway.”

Louis let Nick keep talking about the details he  _ could _ give about Louis’ farewell. Louis was going to miss spending so much time with Nick and the listeners. He had grown to love presenting, but he was ready to get back on stage. Make music again. That was his true passion, and while the hiatus had been needed, it was done.

“So we’re guaranteed amazing interviews now, since I’m dating the interviewer, right?” Louis teased. “That’s how it works, isn’t it?”

“I’m not sure I’m allowed to do the interviews anymore, actually,” Nick said, looking around. “Does anyone know about that?”

Louis laughed at the stupid face Nick made as he shrugged. “We’ll plan on it until someone tells me no. Works for Greg all the time, I might as well use it too.”

Turning over to a song, Nick walked around the desk and pulled Louis up from his seat. He turned the sound to be on in the full studio and began to dance with Louis in the most ridiculous way.

“I’m about ninety percent sure you’re a worse dancer than Harry,” Louis said. “You might be even worse than Niall. Remind me why I love you again?”

Nick shimmied over to Louis as the newest Florence song played. “You love me because I am ridiculous and entirely unashamed about it.”

“Yes, that’s part of it.”

Nick leaned his forehead against Louis’. “I love you,” he whispered. 

Louis closed his eyes and let the warmth flood him that always did when Nick said those words. “Yeah. I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you liked it, please consider leaving me a kudos and a nice comment :D You could even consider reblogging my fic post, which is [found here](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/181556303688/great-minds-they-think-just-the-same-83k).


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